1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trench wall cutter. Particularly, the present invention is directed to a trench wall cutter wherein a deflecting of the drive shaft is permitted such that coaxial deviations between the upper and lower bearings of the cutter can be accommodated.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known trench wall cutter of this type is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,914 issued to Bauer et al. By moving the drive mechanism out of the bearing shield to a location on the cutting frame which is spaced away from the cutting wheels, an especially compact trench wall cutter is formed. This structure is suitable for producing narrow trench walls.
During operation of this trench wall cutter the entire drive mechanism is exposed to major stress, wear of the gear is intensified as is wear of the bearing of the drive shaft between the drive mechanism and the gear. Therefore, the trench wall cutter must necessarily be maintained at regular intervals.